the 400-meter hurdles (Derrick Adkins). Canada
achieved the gold medal in the men’s 4-by-100-
meter relay, with the United States winning the sil-
ver. The U.S. men won the gold in the 4-by-400-
meter relay. U.S. women achieved gold medals in
both relays. Carl Lewis, at the age of thirty-five, won
the gold medal in the long jump; he was one of only
three athletes ever to win the same individual event
four times. This was the last Olympics for Lewis. Dur-
ing his Olympic career, he compiled a total of nine
gold medals, becoming one of only four Olympic
athletes to achieve this feat.
Men and women swimmers from the United
States won gold medals in all of the relay events, with
a world record in the men’s 4-by-100-meter medley.
Amy Van Dyken of the United States won four gold
medals in swimming; she was the first American
woman to win four titles in a single Olympics. World
records were established in men’s 100-meter breast-
stroke by Belgium’s Fred Deburghgraeve and in
women’s 100-meter breaststroke by Penelope Heyns
of South Africa. Russia’s Denis Pankratov set a world
record in the men’s 100-meter butterfly. Gary Hall,
Jr., of the United States and Alexander Popov of Rus-
sia each won four medals in swimming, two gold and
two silver.
In gymnastics, Alexei Nemov of Russia compiled a
total of six medals, the most of any athlete during the
1996 Olympics. U.S. women won the gold medal in
women’s gymnastics, and Kerri Strug became the
heroine as she had to endure an injury during her fi-
nal event. Another U.S. athlete who had to over-
come an injury during competition was wrestler
Kurt Angle, who won the gold medal in the 100-kilo-
gram weight class while suffering a fractured neck.
In tennis, Andre Agassi of the United States won the
gold medal in men’s singles, and fellow American
Lindsay Davenport won the women’s gold medal.
In basketball, U.S. men’s and women’s teams won
gold medals. On April 7, 1989, the international bas-
ketball rules were changed to allow professional bas-
ketball players to compete in the Olympic Games. In
1992 in Barcelona, the first “Dream Team” of NBA
superstars represented the United States. In 1996,
another Dream Team was gathered, which consisted
of NBA players and was coached by Lenny Wilkins,
the NBA’s all-time winning coach. The team was un-
defeated at 8-0, and the attendance on the average
was 32,263 fans when they played. In baseball, Cuba
won the gold medal, Japan the silver, and the United
States the bronze. The United States won the gold
medal in the debut sport of softball. With players
such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Julie
Fowdy, the U.S. women’s soccer team won the gold
medal.
Impact The hosting of the 1996 Olympic Games
proved to be an economic success for Atlanta. The
Games served as a significant force to the revitaliza-
tion of the downtown area in Atlanta. Corporate
sponsors played a major role in contributing to the
financial support for hosting the Games; however,
there was criticism that the Games were overcom-
mercialized as a result of corporate involvement.
Further Reading
Albertson, Lisa H., ed.Athens to Atlanta: One Hundred
Years of Glor y. Salt Lake City, Utah: Commemora-
tive Publications, 1996. Provides an overview of
the 1996 Olympic Games.
Guttmann, Allen.The Olympics: A Histor y of the Mod-
ern Games. 2d ed. Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 2002. A look at the political and social cli-
mate of the Olympic Games.
Miller, David.Athens to Athens: The Official Histor y of
the Olympic Games and the IOC. Edinburgh: Main-
stream, 2003. Definitive history of the Olympics,
including engaging stories of competitors.
Payne, Michael.Olympic Turnaround: How the Olympic
Games Stepped Back from the Brink of Extinction to Be-
come the World’s Best Known Brand. Westport,
Conn.: Praeger, 2006. Provides a business per-
spective on the Olympics by the IOC’s first mar-
keting director.
Pound, Richard W.Inside the Olympics: A Behind-the-
Scenes Look at the Politics, the Scandals, and the Glor y
of the Games. Etobicoke, Ont.: John Wiley & Sons
Canada, 2004. A well-written inside look at the
Games from a former IOC vice president.
Wallechinsky, David.The Complete Book of the Summer
Olympics. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press, 2000.
Packed with statistics and records from the 1896
Olympics through the 1990’s.
Alar LippingSee also Bailey, Donovan; Basketball; Dream
Team; Hamm, Mia; Malone, Karl; Olympic Games of
1992; Olympic Games of 1994; Olympic Games of
1998; Olympic Park bombing; O’Neal, Shaquille;
Salt Lake City Olympics bid scandal; Soccer; Strug,
Kerri.The Nineties in America Olympic Games of 1996 645